About us

About SAI

SAI Futurenet was established in early 1995 – originally as two separate businesses – which subsequently merged. We grew steadily through the “Dotcom crash” of 2000/1 and continue to grow at 20% pa through our second recession.

SAI Futurenet has grown to become KZN’s largest locally based ISP, and we are one of only 23 in the country (of 160) members of ISPA (and the only KZN based one) not graded “Small Member” (see www.ispa.org.za).

We have offices in Durban, Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg, and provide services to:

In addition to this, over 3,500 individual and small business clients use SAI to provide ADSL or dialup services.

From the above, it is clear that our focus is on the SME and SMME sized enterprise – and consequently our whole organisation is geared to providing services and support suitable and relevant to organisations with limited in-house IT expertise.

The success that SAI Futurenet has enjoyed stems from several factors, including:

A clear focus on the type of client to whom we are most suited to providing outstanding service;
absolute dedication to clients’ needs which has translated into the lowest customer loss ratio in the industry;

Careful choice of supply partnerships, which yields levels of reliability, service quality and depth and breadth of services far higher than would normally be expected from a business our size;

Sound business principles, based on the years of experience that the management team has accumulated. MD Des Ramsay alone has over 40 years of IT experience, the majority of those managing IT businesses and including five years as Sales Director of the Dimension Data company, Internet Solutions (IS);

Controlled and carefully managed growth, allowing us to weather the roller coaster ride that has plagued the IT industry in recent years and which has seen SAI Futurenet growing while many of our competitors have left the industry or severely contracted their operations.

We hold the highest level of telecommunications licence provided by ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of SA), which are Individual ECS and Individual ECNS licences.

We are members of ISPA (Internet Service Providers Association) which is recognised by the Ministry of Communications an Industry Representative Body in terms of section 71 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002, and are governed by ISPA’s code of conduct. We are amongst South Africa’s top 25 largest ISPA members and one of 160 members of ISPA.

Our upstream providers, including IS and Telkom connect many private, semi-government and government enterprises to each other and to the Internet, forming the de facto basis for the business Internet community in South Africa. Carrier-class networking and server equipment (from companies like Cisco, Dell, HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems) is used throughout both the IS and Telkom network and provides users with the required assurance that they are dealing with trusted core suppliers when connected to the Internet for business purposes.

By basing our primary ISP backbone (first tier services) on the IS service, with secondary connections to the Telkom SAIX service, our clients receive the benefits of being able to communicate via email, access web services and transact business with the vast majority of the South African Business community, often WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO LEAVE THE IS OR TELKOM PRIVATE BACKBONES.

The result of this is, for example, when you conduct business over the internet or communicate via email with any SAI Futurenet or IS client, you connect directly over a private network, without breaking out to the Internet at large. This means that most of your internet business interaction will remain on the fast, secure and reliable IS and SAI Futurenet network.

The SAI Futurenet network infrastructure is connected by high speed Local Area Network technology to, and is in effectively an extension of the IS infrastructure, forming a network fully focused on and specifically designed to provide the foundations for electronic commerce and electronic business in South Africa.

Introduction

This Manual is published in terms of Section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act No. 2 of 2000) (“the Act”). The Act gives effect to the provisions of Section 32 of the Constitution, which provides for the right of access to information held by the State and to information held by another person that is required for the exercise and / or protection of any right.

The reference to any information in addition to that specifically required in terms of Section 51 of the Act does not create any right or entitlement (contractual or otherwise) to receive such information, other than in terms of the Act.

JBJ Internet t/a “SAI” OVERVIEW

JBJ Internet t/a “SAI” provides internet services and access to its customers, in both the corporate and home market.

“SAI” supports the constitutional right of access to information and we are committed to provide you access to our records in accordance with the provisions of the Act, the confidentiality we owe third parties and the principles of South African law.

Availability of this manual

A copy of this Manual is available on our website (www.sai.co.za) or by sending a request for a copy to the Information Officer by email. The Manual may also be obtained from our head office, the South African Human Rights Commission (“SAHRC”) at the addresses set out below or from the Government Printers. This Manual will be updated from time to time, as and when required.

how to request access to records held by “SAI”

Requests for access to records held by “SAI” must be made on the request forms that are available from our website and office, from the SAHRC website (www.sahrc.org.za) or the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (www.doj.gov.za) (under “regulations”).

A request fee may be payable (the schedule of fees can be accessed here). You can submit a request without paying the request fee but please note that payment of the prescribed fees must be made before the request will be processed.

Requests for access to records must be made to our Information Officer at the address, fax number or electronic mail address provided for below.

The requester must provide sufficient detail on the request form to enable the Information Officer to identify the record and the requester. The requester should also indicate which form of access is required and indicate if he or she wishes to be informed in any other manner and state the necessary particulars to be so informed.

The requester must identify the right that he or she is seeking to exercise or protect and provide an explanation of why the requested record is required for the exercise or protection of that right.

If a request is made on behalf of a person, the requester must then submit proof of the capacity in which the requester is making the request to the satisfaction of the Information Officer of “SAI”.

The standard form that must be used for the making of requests can be accessed here. Not using this form could cause your request to be refused (if you do not provide sufficient information or otherwise) or delayed.

Kindly note that all requests to “SAI” will be evaluated and considered in accordance with the Act. Publication of this manual and describing the categories and subject matter of information held by “SAI”does not give rise to any rights (in contract or otherwise) to access such information or records except in terms of the Act.

Voluntary Disclosure

“SAI” has not published a notice in terms of Section 52(2) of the Act, however, it should be noted that the information relating to “SAI” and its services is freely available on “SAI’s” website. Certain other information relating to “SAI” is also made available on such website from time to time.

Further information in the form of marketing brochures, advertising material and other public communication is made available from time to time.

Records Available In Terms Of Any Other Legislation

Information is available in terms of the following legislation to the persons or entities specified in such legislation:

Companies Act 61 of 1973

Income Tax Act 58 of 1962

Value Added Tax Act 89 of 1991

Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995

Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997

Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998

Skills Development Levies Act 9 of 1999

Unemployment Insurance Act 30 of 1966

Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002.

Telecommunications Act 103 of 1996

Electronic Communications Act 36 of 2005

ICASA Act 13 of 2000

Film and Publications Act 65 of 1996

Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Act 70 of 2002

Records held by JBJ INTERNET T/A “SAI”

SAI maintains records on the following categories and subject matters.

However, please note that recording a category or subject matter in this manual does not imply that a request for access to such records would be honoured.

All requests for access will be evaluated on a case by case basis in accordance with the provisions of the act.

Internal Records

The following are records pertaining to SAI’s own affairs and those of its divisions, subsidiary and associated companies:

Memorandum and Articles of Association

Financial records

Operational records

Licences

Intellectual property

Marketing records;

Internal correspondence;

Product records;

Statutory records;

Internal policies and procedures;

Records held by officials of “SAI”.

Personnel Records
Personnel refers to any person who works for or provides services to or on behalf of “SAI” and receives or is entitled to receive any remuneration and any other person who assists in carrying out or conducting the business of “SAI”. This includes, without limitation, directors, executive directors, non-executive directors, all permanent, temporary and part-time staff as well as contract workers. Personnel records include the following:

Any personal records provided to “SAI” by their personnel;

Any records a third party has provided to “SAI” about any of their personnel;

Conditions of employment and other personnel-related contractual and quasi‑legal records;

Internal evaluation records; and

Other internal records and correspondence.

Customer RecordsPlease be aware that SAI is very concerned about protecting the confidential information of its customers. Please motivate any request for customer information very carefully, having regard to sections 63 to 67 of the Act.
Customer information includes the following:

Any records a customer has provided to “SAI” or a third party acting for or on behalf of “SAI”;

Contractual information;

Customer needs assessments;

Personal records of customers;

Credit information and other research conducted in respect of customers;

Performance research conducted on behalf of customers or about customers;

Any records a third party has provided to “SAI” either directly or indirectly; and

Records generated by or within “SAI” pertaining to customers, including transactional records.

Other Parties
Records are kept in respect of other parties, including without limitation contractors, suppliers, joint ventures, service providers and general market conditions. In addition, such other parties may possess records, which can be said to belong to “SAI”. The following records fall under this category:

Personnel, customer or SAI records which are held by another party as opposed to being held by SAI; and

Records held by SAI pertaining to other parties, including financial records, correspondence, contractual records, electronic mail, logs, cached information, records provided by the other party, and records third parties have provided about the contractors/suppliers or customer.

Other Records
Further records are held including:

Information relating to SAI’s own commercial activities; and

Research carried out on behalf of a client by SAI or commissioned from a third party for a customer;

Research information belonging to SAI, whether carried out itself or commissioned from a third party.

Des Ramsay has been in the IT industry since 1968. Having worked at two of Durban’s largest IT installations (Durban Municipality from 1966 to 1969 and The McCarthy Group from 1970 to 1973), Des took an IT management role at Smith and Nephew before joining ICL in 1976, which, at the time was one of South Africa’s two leading mainframe IT suppliers.

The five years spent at ICL, first in a sales support role and later in sales, provided Des with the experience to start his own IT business, Concept Computer Systems, which opened in 1981 and pioneered the IBM Personal Computer and the desktop computing revolution in Durban. CCS operated very successfully until 1997, when it was absorbed into the Dimension Data Group to become the desktop services arm of Dimension Data Natal.

Des then opened the Internet Solutions branch in Natal, before transferring to Johannesburg as Sales Director. In December 2001, he decided to return to kwaZulu Natal, and purchased SAI and in 2004, Futurenet.

Our support team is backed up by IS’ second and third level support teams and by BassettRamsay Technical Services. As part of our service we project manage all Internet related support issues on our client’s behalf, involving Telkom or IS as required.